"Hottest" helicopter out there?
 

Conveniently forgetting real world considerations, what the hottest, highest performing & best handling helicopter out there?

I haven't even sat in a helicopter, so know nothing beyond what I read on power, weight, heads & what not. 1st thought was something light & powerful like the MD 530F, AS350B3 or Bo 105, 2nd though was something heavier with a load of power like Lynx or AH-64, but I guess they just aren't as agile.

:cool:

Lynx? There’ll be a few coffee stained keyboards out there now!

CH-47 must be a contender

The SA 315 B Lama holds the helicopter absolute altitude record of 40'814 ft, but I can't say if it still stands for lack of trying on anyone else's part.

All things considered, I'd say that nowadays nothing has more reserve power than an AS 350 B3e Squirrel, especially since the 2021 power upgrade.

CH47 HC1 had a VNE of 160 kts, I explored this limitation en-route RAF Gutersloh in I think 1983 trying to catch a Puma .going to the same destination. I was overhauling the Puma when I saw the airfield passing below. Quick power reduction took ages to slow down and late call finalls to land. Not many helicopters are able to maintain VNE straight and level!

CH-47 - While fast & powerful, does it have the agility & chuckability of the smaller contenders (have always thought of it as a fast HGV rather than something sporty)?

Some A109s can do 168kts in S&L flight, which is the type’s VNE.

Whilst the Lynx isn't much good hot and high (better with T800 engines) it is still the world speed record holder - 216Kts (249 mph) set in 1986

Yes G-LYNX was modified but not by much - the military release to service for Mk 7 (no TOW booms) and 9 had a VNE of 156 Kts which was very achievable in level flight and could easily be exceeded if you weren't paying attention.

A light slick (no TOW booms) could sustain 3000 f/min RoC

The hottest would be the EC-120.

All that glass and no ventilation, apart from a piddly fan that just blows in your eyes. No good in an Oz summer. My feet, in black shoes, were in direct sunlight and felt like they were on fire. Had to fly with left hand on cyclic and right hand trying to scoop air in through the piddly sliding window. Back seat pax were really suffering.

Had an S-76B at 185 kt briefly (Vne 155 kt) but that's another story.

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This was without any doubt the "hottest" helicopter I ever flew!

B3 Squirrel must be the most versatile and best performing machine out there, it does everything well.

Yes the AS350B3 performance and usefullness wise is a wonderfull choice any day. But if you look throught it, its a lot of old technology that as aged well just because it was ahead of its time in the late 70s.
An H160 if way hotter if you look through the design and technologies that are being used.

MENELAUS, have to agree for the sporty handling part, best ever.

If its handling then has to be between a 369D 341/2 or 105

Did I forget the aerobatic capabilities of the Lynx? Loops, barrel rolls, back flips etc - that is handling

This confuses me a bit, my naive view was that with a very reasonable power to weight ratio & at least what appears to be plenty of agility that it would be a contender of sorts?

The inner child say that it's it's the fastest & can go upside down - what else would you want.

Upside down depended, to some extent, on the gearbox fitted. Briefly upside down might be a better description. And gutless hot and high. And in the days of the IFTU she had a propensity for tearing the tail boom and rotor off.
All that said a whole lot of fun; it was when they stopped leaking oil that you had to worry.

I think it depends on how your criteria are interpreted. Normally, "hot and high" in aviation refers to high altitudes and above standard temperatures, but I can see that (in retrospect) you are probably using the term in a non-aviation manner and referring to 'fast and sporty'. So, in that case I accept the Lynx could be a contender! But, if you want to pick troops off a 15,000 ft mountain and it's +5 C (20 C above standard) then go for the Chinook!

One type that surprised me with its speed is the Mi35 (export version of Mi24 - Hind) - when flying EC155s in the Niger Delta, cruising at around 155 KTS TAS, the Nigerian Air Force Mi35s would overtake us with a significant advantage. Their ETAs suggested they were doing around 180 kts......

Saw the loops in Australia in the mid 1980's at the Adelaide F1 Grand Prix during a demonstration put on by the visiting RN

I didn't think it was possible until I saw it. Very impressive :)